Durvaasaa's Curses

Birth of Durvaasaa
Durvaasaa Muni is the son of Atri Rishi (brain child of Brahmaa Jee) and Anasooyaa. Story of his birth is very strange. Once the three Devee, Saraswatee, Lakshmee and Paarvatee, argued among each other that who was more Pativrataa among them. When it could not be decided, they asked their husbands. The husbands said - "None of you is a real Pativrataa." Hearing this all Devee got angry and asked them the who was that woman who was more Pativrataa then them. The trio said - "Atri's wife Anasooyaa." Hearing this they got angrier than before and asked them to prove it.

So the trio went to Atri's Aashram in the absence of Atri Muni, assuming the form Braahman and asked for alms. Anasooyaa rose to go inside the hut to bring something to give it to them, but the three Braahman said - "We do not accept ordinary alms, when you give us the alms without wearing clothes then only we will accept the alms." This was a strange request. Anasooyaa got stunned hearing such a request. She could not have returned the Braahman empty handed. The Braahman were thinking, "Let us see what will she do?"

She paused only for a moment and said "All right, I bring it." She went inside the hut, took off her clothes, prayed her husband that if she has been always faithful to her husband, these Braahman should turn into newborn children. As she came out without clothes she saw three newborn babies crying on the mat. She picked them one by one, breastfed them to their satisfaction, and lay them down. She went inside, wore her clothes and came out.

When some time passed and Brahmaa, Vishnu and Shiv did not come back, the three Devee got worried and decided to go to Anasooyaa. They went there and found three babies lying and playing on the mat. They understood what must have happened. They requested her to give their husbands back to them. Anasooyaa loved those children very much, she was not ready to give them back to Devee. Then Brahmaa, Vishnu and Shiv promised to Anasooyaa to be her sons. Thus Anasooyaa had three sons - Dattaatreya from Vishnu, Chandramaa from Brahmaa, and Durvaasaa from Shiv. Thus Durvaasaa Rishi is the incarnation of Shiv.

Durvaasaa Rishi
Durvaasaa Rishi is a very angry Rishi. He becomes angry very soon. He has many incidents of his being angry, but only one incident of being pleased. He is so angry that he has not left even Devtaa. One incident is his asking for forgiveness. In this blog I will write only two incidents - one of being pleased and another of asking for forgiveness.

Durvaasaa and Kuntee
Kuntee whose birth name was Prithaa, was the daughter of King Shoorsen. Thus she was the sister of Vasudev and and Buaa of Krishn. Shoorsen had a cousin and friend kuntibhoj who had no child, so Shoorsen promised to give him his first child. His first child was Prithaa and according to his promise to Kuntibhoj he gave Prithaa to him. There she got known as Kuntee. As she grew up, seeing her polite and affectionate behavior, Kuntibhoj gave her the responsibility of the hospitality of guests.

Once Rishi Durvaasaa came to Kuntibhoj's palace and as usual Kuntee served him. She served him so well that he got very pleased with her services. He asked her to ask for anything as he was capable of giving her anything she wanted. Kuntee was young at that time, so she did not know what to ask for. Then Durvaasaa Jee gave her a Mantra which could invoke any Devtaa for any purpose.

Kuntee was so young that she could not believe this, so when Muni had left, she thought to test it. Once she used it to invoke Soorya Dev and Soorya Dev appeared in front of her within no time.Now she did not know what to ask from him. She got scared and she asked him to go away as she wanted only to test that Mantra, but Soorya Dev could not go without giving her something. She could not do anything and Sootya Dev gave her a son and went away. Since this son was born in her maidenhood period, because of being afraid of the society she flowed him in the nearby river. The same boy was known as Raadheya or Mahaabhaarat's Karn.

Durvaasaa and King Ambareesh
This story comes in Bhaagvat Puraan, 9/2. Manu's son was Nabhag, Nabhag's son was Naabhaag, and Naabhaag's son was Ambareesh. Ambareesh was a very religious and a great devotee of Vishnu. Even Brahm Shaap could never harm him. Pleased with his devotion Vishnu appointed His Chakra to guard him. Once Ambareesh did Dwaadashee Pradhaan Ekaadashee Vrat and at the end of the Vrat kept fast for three nights. When he was doing his Paaran (conclusion) of his Vrat, that Durvaasaa Rishi came there. King welcomed him and requested him to take food. Rishi agreed and went to do his daily chores to bank of Yamunaa. Now Dwaadashee remained only for one Ghadee. Not completing Vrat in Dwaadashee was also a sin and taking food without offering Braahman was also a sin, so he consulted Braahman to tell him a way so that he is not blamed for any sin. With the Braahman's consultation he took water, because it meant not to take food, and still maintaining the fast.

When Durvaasaa Rishi came, the King welcomed him but Muni understood that the King has done the Paaran of his Vrat. He became very angry, he broke a flock of his hair from his skull and produced a Krityaa to kill Ambareesh. Any Krityaa is always a sure shot, but it has one other characteristic - if it cannot kill the person whom it is meant for, it kills the person who had produced it. So the Krityaa proceeded towards Ambareesh to kill him but Ambareesh stood unmoved. Since Vishnu's Chakra guarded him, it killed the Krityaa and then proceeded towards Durvaasaa to kill him.

Now Durvaasaa ran away from there and wherever he went the Chakra followed him. He went to Brahmaa, Mahesh but both expressed their helplessness in this regard. Then he went to Vishnu, even Vishnu could not help him. He said - "Muni, I am under the control of my Bhakt, so I cannot help you, go to the same person to whom you have committed crime." He went back to Ambareesh and fell down on his feet. Ambareesh prayed Chakra to be calm so the Chakra calmed down. he then fed Muni, and took food himself too. Durvaasaa Muni blessed him and went to his Lok.

These two incidents are different from his life style. In fact he became angry with Ambareesh also, but Vishnu's Chakra saved him.

Sushma Gupta
www.sushmajee.com